The UN has declared 2014 the International Year of Crystallography, marking a century since Max von Laue was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of X-ray diffraction by crystals. The following year the prize was awarded to William Henry Bragg and his son, William Lawrence Bragg, for their X-ray analysis of crystal structure. This talk follows the historic development of crystallography, and shows why it is more relevant today than ever. Crystallographic methods not only provide insight into the (sometimes quite intricate) structure of solids, but also enable us to unravel the structure of complex molecules like DNA, transforming our knowledge of biological processes and modern medicine.